


The Big Reveal

by SilenceIsGolden15



Series: Voltron Oneshots [9]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), Galra reveal, Gen, Post-Episode: s02e08 The Blade of Marmora, Team as Family, The Galra reveal we deserve, im salty we didn't get a good reveal so here you go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 21:44:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14724131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilenceIsGolden15/pseuds/SilenceIsGolden15
Summary: The 'Keith is Galra' reveal we deserve and didn't get.





	The Big Reveal

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all have read a million of these types of fics you know how this goes. Enjoy.

The silence inside the lion was suffocating. Shiro hadn’t spoken a single word since they left the Marmora base, except to offer to fly back to the Castle. Keith had refused, despite being beat all to hell. Red was still unstable and angry from what had happened, and who knows what would have happened if anyone but Keith tried to fly her at that moment.

Keith kept his gaze firmly out the front of the lion. He couldn’t bear to look at Shiro. If he looked and saw mistrust on his face… or hate… he could barely stand to think about it. 

The information really hadn’t sunk in yet, and he didn’t know if it was the adrenaline haze, the pain, or just sheer shock. Either way, he couldn’t quite comprehend it. 

_ I’m Galra. _

Every time he thought it, his stomach twisted a little more with guilt and shame and self-loathing. He had been afraid of this for a long time, ever since he had made the hangar door work on the Balmera. The people who had taken Shiro from him, tortured him, mutilated him. The people who took Pidge’s family, who destroyed Allura’s home and murdered everyone she ever knew, the people who conquered and brutally subjugated a huge portion of the universe and countless billions of lives. And he was one of them. 

The graceful spires of the Castle came into view, and the Red lion wavered a little as his hands trembled on the controls. 

_ They’re all going to hate me. _

“Shiro?” he said, embarrassed at how small and awkward his voice sounded. 

“Yeah?” The older paladin’s tone was unreadable, which only made Keith more nervous.

“Will you… will you tell the others? I don’t think- I can’t-”

_ I can’t look at their faces as they realize what kind of a monster I am. _

“Yes.” Shiro responded easily. “I will.”

Keith let out a shaky breath. “Thank you.”

“I know you’re afraid.” Keith tensed up at his words, staring with dread as the Castle loomed higher and higher above them. “But this isn’t going to change anything. You’re still you.”

“I hope you’re right.” he murmured as he guided the lion into her hangar, trying to ignore the burning of his injured shoulder. It was still bleeding a little bit, and he vaguely felt concerned about it, but quickly pushed the thought away. He just needed to get some gauze on it and it would be fine. He wouldn’t waste everyone’s time asking for a healing pod. 

Thankfully the hangar was empty when they emerged from the Red lion, the others probably waiting for them on the bridge. But Keith wasn’t going to go there. Instead, he turned towards the hallway that would take him to his bedroom.

“Keith, are you sure you don’t want a healing pod?” Shiro asked gently.

“I’ll be fine.” Keith replied. “I just need to get some sleep.”

“Alright.”

Keith stood still for a moment, listening to the click of Shiro’s boots on the floor as he walked away. For a moment, he was back in the Trials, watching Shiro walk away from him. Then he shook his head firmly and started towards his room. None of that was real, but it didn’t stop the memory from hurting, just a little bit. He had always been afraid of losing Shiro, and now that he knew who,  _ what _ , he was, it still might happen.

* * *

Allura let out a relieved sigh when Shiro walked onto the bridge.

“Shiro, thank goodness. You were in there for so long, we thought something must have happened.”

“Yeah, you guys really had us freaked for a second there.” Hunk chimed in. “We were all ready to fly the Castle in and attack.”

Shiro shook his head, unable to keep back the soft smile. “That’s sweet, but we didn’t need rescuing. Everything’s fine.”

“But the Red lion started attacking.” Pidge said, sitting up on her knees backwards in her chair. “Why would she do that if you guys weren’t in danger?”

“It’s… a little complicated.” Shiro responded, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Jeez, how was he going to do this…

“Where’s Keith?” Lance finally asked.

“He’s resting. Things got a little… out of hand.”

“What does  _ that  _ mean?” Allura asked sharply. “Can we trust the Blade, or can we not?”

“We can.” Shiro rushed to assure her. “It’s just- it’s a long story. We should go to the lounge.”

Everyone else exchanged wary, slightly surprised looks, but one by one, they followed Shiro to the lounge. 

“Alright Shiro, what's going on here?” Allura demanded, pointedly not sitting down. Shiro let out a quiet sigh and he sat. Watching his little brother get the shit kicked out of him was exhausting. 

The other paladins sat on the circular couch as well, waiting for him to begin. Pidge was sat with her legs crossed, while Lance spread eagled across the entire thing, as usual. Hunk, it seems, is the only one capable of sitting like a normal person. Coran stood a few feet behind the princess, eyeing Shiro with interest and maybe just a little bit of concern. 

“So, you guys know that knife Keith has? The one he’s always carrying around?” There were various nods of assent around the little group. “Well, turns out he really does carry it everywhere.”

“Even when the Blade said to come unarmed.” Allura finished for him, while Pidge dropped her head back in a groan. 

“Sounds like Keith.” Lance muttered to himself. Shiro just nodded tiredly. 

“The Blades found it, and they weren’t happy. But not just because he brought a weapon. Turns out Keith’s knife is what their ceremonial blades look like when they haven’t been… awakened, or whatever.”

“So… Keith stole one of their knives?” Lance asked with a blank look. “When could he have done that?”

“He didn’t steal it. He said he’s had it as long as he can remember.” 

“That… doesn’t make any sense.” Pidge said quietly, brow furrowing. 

“It gets worse.” Shiro said, leaning his head on his hands. “Of course, Keith wants to know where it came from, how one of their knives ended up with him on Earth. But the Blade won’t tell him. They said in their organization you have to fight for answers, it’s knowledge or death. So if he wants to know, he has to go through some trials.”

“And of course, he does it, because Keith is a stubborn little shit.” says Lance with a roll of his eyes. Shiro doesn’t bother countering him, he just nods again.

“The first trial is combat. He has to keep fighting more and more Blades until he figures out their riddle. It went on for a while, and they didn’t go easy on him. He’s not in great shape.”

“Does he need a healing pod?” Hunk asked, concern softening his face, which earns him a smile from Shiro.

“No, he’ll be ok, just let me finish.” Hunk still looked nervous, but settled back against the sofa all the same, allowing Shiro to continue. “He figured it out, and then there was a different test.”

“You’re not gonna tell us what it was?” Pidge asked after Shiro let the pause extend into an awkward silence. 

“No, it’s personal.” he answered automatically. “It’s not my place. Anyway, he passed it, and during the last one he had to make a choice. He could choose knowledge, and get answers to all of his questions, or he could choose Voltron.”

“Which one did he choose?” asked Allura, who had been fairly quiet thus far. 

“Voltron. He gave up his chance at knowledge for us.” Everyone simultaneously looked down, very aware of the gravity of the choice Keith had made. “But even after that, the Blade wouldn’t let us leave unless he gave up the knife. So he did, and that’s when it awakened.”

“He still got it to work!” Pidge exclaimed, excited on Keith’s behalf.

“Yeah. But the thing is, the blades only awaken for someone… someone with Galra blood.” Shiro rushed the end of the sentence slightly, just wanting to get all of this done and over with. For a moment, the others just stared at him without comprehension. 

“So he’s…” Lance started, and Shiro finished his sentence. 

“Part Galra, yeah. Apparently.”

The effect on everyone was immediate. Allura took several steps back, her face twisting, until she ran into Coran, who gripped her shoulders tightly, having gone several shades paler. Lance sat up ramrod straight, an indiscernible look in his eyes. Pidge clapped a hand over her mouth. And Hunk curled in on himself, casting a fearful look around, as though Keith would be lurking right behind them ready to pounce. 

Shiro had been expecting worse, so he let his shoulders relax a little. They were surprised, but they would get used to it and everything would be fine. At least, that’s what he thought, until Allura narrowed her eyes dangerously. She had the same look on her face that she had when she had spoken to Ulaz.

“We must get him off the ship.” she snarled, making Shiro look up at her with panic on his face. “That dirty double agent-” She started to turn to leave the room, but Shiro leapt up and got in front of her.

“No!” he exclaimed. “Didn’t you hear what I said? He didn’t know!” 

Allura scowled. “Out of my way, Shiro.”

“No.”

“I will not have some quiznaking half galra  _ mutt  _ on my ship.” she snapped, eyes growing more dark and stormy with every word. 

“Don’t talk about him like that, he’s one of us!”

“All galra are monstrous, bloodthirsty beasts! I thought you of all people would understand that.”

So far the paladins and Coran had been dead silent while watching this interaction, but one of them let out a gasp at Allura’s comment. Shiro just clenched his jaw and glared. 

“Not Keith.” he said firmly. “I know him, he’s not like that.”

“Shiro-”

“Allura, if you touch him I will fight you myself.”

Heavy silence descended over the room, Allura and Shiro staring each other down with bated breath. After several seconds, Coran reached for her shoulder.

“Princess, maybe-”

She whirled on him and gave him a dirty look, which shut him up immediately. She cast another glare at Shiro, and then stomped out of the room, thankfully in the opposite direction of the bunks. 

Shiro melted against the wall. He was just too fucking tired to deal with this right now.

Coran wrung his hands anxiously, looking down the hallway Allura had taken. 

“I’m sorry.” he said eventually, which surprised Shiro. “Just… give her some time. She’ll come around.”

“What about you?” Shiro asked, frowning. He hadn’t expected this, especially from Coran, who had lost as much as Allura. Coran just gave him a shrug and a small smile.

“As far as I’m concerned, he hasn’t given us a reason to mistrust him. It’ll take some time, but it’ll work out.”

Shiro nodded, not bothering to look at the others before he turned to leave the room. He was too tired, the others could work through their own emotions without him.

* * *

Keith had just finished putting on his normal clothes. The Marmora suit lay crumpled in a corner, along with the various band aid wrappers and excess gauze from patching himself up. His entire body felt like one giant bruise. He sat down on his bed, nervously eyeing the knife laying across his pillow. It still hadn’t transformed back, a huge glaring reminder of what he was, what he couldn’t hide from anymore. 

He was jolted out of his reverie by a knock on his door, and he rose slowly to answer it, dread knotting in his stomach. Probably Shiro, but still, what was he going to say? 

He had his eyes on the floor when the door slid open, and they immediately widened when he saw white sneakers instead of black boots. His gaze darted upwards, utterly shocked to see Lance standing there.

“Hey, man.” he said softly. “Can we talk?”

“Uh… y-yeah.” Keith stuttered. He was about to stand aside, to let Lance into his room, but something on his face stopped him. He didn’t want to come in. He wanted this to be over quickly. He was uncomfortable. 

Heat rose around Keith’s ears, and he looked away again. 

_ Does he hate me? Is he afraid of me?  _

“Look… I don’t know how to feel about all of this.” Lance said, and Keith’s chest tightened painfully. He could practically hear the condemnation before it even left the blue paladins lips. “But you’re still a part of Voltron. And I trust you.” 

“Really?” Keith couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice. Lance gave a little awkward chuckle and nodded. 

“Really. And so do the others. I mean, I wouldn’t be expecting invitations to tea from Allura any time soon, but we’re a team, and I’ve got your back.”

Keith let out a shuddering breath, suddenly feeling light and a little off balance. 

“Thank you.” 

Lance cracked a smile and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. “And by the way, Mullet. If you’re the one who ends up with cool alien powers, I’m gonna be pissed.”

Keith couldn’t help the surprised chuckle that forced its way up his throat. “I don’t think that’s how it works, dude.” 

“You better hope so.” Lance said, and with another flashy grin, disappeared down the hallway. Keith, unexpectedly, went to bed with a smile on his face.

* * *

Despite that, he still didn’t sleep well (as usual). When he awoke in the early hours of what he assumed was morning, his shoulder was killing him and his whole body was sore as all hell. He sat up with a grimace, trying to roll out the kinks without it hurting too much. He had to stretch himself out, get rid of the aches and pains. He couldn’t train yet, not with his shoulder the way it was, but he still went to the training deck anyway, more out of habit than anything else. He was surprised when he got there to see Pidge sitting cross legged in the middle of the room, on her laptop. 

She looked up at him over her glasses when she heard the hiss of the door, and sat up a little straighter.

“Hey.”

“Uh, hey?” Keith answered, a little wary. He never saw anyone else on the training deck, much less Pidge, much less at 4 am. Seemingly picking up on his confusion, Pidge sighed and closed her laptop with a quiet click.

“I was too much of a coward to come right to you like Lance did.” she said, sounding a little sheepish and gripping the front of her legs. “But I knew you would show up here eventually, so…”

Keith swallowed hard, trying to brace himself for whatever she was going to say. But for the first few seconds, she didn’t say anything, just sitting and looking at him. Belatedly, Keith realized she was just as bad at talking to people as he was.

“Look, I just want you to know that this doesn’t change anything.” she said, firmly looking him right in the eye from her position on the floor. “You being Galra. It doesn’t change anything.”

Keith almost looked away, but forced himself to maintain her gaze. Even so, he still wasn’t sure what to say. “I thought-”

“You thought I would hate you.” Pidge said abruptly, rocking back slightly. “Because of my family.”

He could only give a lame nod in reply. 

“Well, I don’t.” she said, blunt as always. “I consider us friends, Keith, and I don’t turn on my friends for things that are out of their control.” She tilted her head slightly, the lights from the training room reflecting off of her glasses. “Do you think we’re friends?”

“Yes.” Keith said automatically, and then cringed at his eagerness. “I do.”

Pidge’s face visibly brightened, and she pushed her glasses up on her nose. “Good! Because I’ve been wanting to show you something.” Clambering to her feet, she snatched up her laptop and jogged past Keith, grabbing his wrist with her other hand. “Come on, you can’t train like that anyway.”

Keith let her pull him out of the room and down the hall back towards the bunks, his head spinning slightly. This wasn’t what he had been expecting. He had been expecting the cold shoulder from Pidge, suspicious, searching glances, wondering if he had something to do with Kerberos. But instead, he got warmth, and acceptance. She called him her friend. 

He was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t notice when she stopped, and flailed slightly trying not to run into her. She didn’t seem to notice, just opening up her bedroom door and pulling him inside. Unlike his room, which was cold and bare, she had settled right in. A string of fairy lights was draped along the top of her bunk, behind which the wall was plastered with diagrams and notes. Various clothes littered the floor, and Keith could have sworn he saw one of those trashpillars sleeping in her closet before his attention was caught by the clear space in the middle of the room. Well, clear except for the wires and metal bits.

“I’ve been working on a new Rover!” Pidge said excitedly, hopping over various piles of junk on the floor until she reached the clear ring and dropped to her knees. “Come see!” She gave him an expectant look, and Keith picked his way over to her. 

He sat, crossing his legs as she had been doing earlier, and surveyed the hunk of metal in front of him with interest. 

“Where did you get another drone?” He asked, recognizing the triangular shape. “We haven’t really been near any ships with these lately.”

“I built it.” she replied nonchalantly, reaching into the little bot to mess with some wires. “It’s mostly from memory, so it’s not perfect yet, but with a little more tinkering it should be just like the old one.”

Keith made an interested noise in the back of his throat and watched while she fiddled with it for a few minutes. 

“Oh, hey.” she said, not looking up from her task. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that sick hoverbike you had back on Earth. I’ve never seen anything like it, not even at the Garrison.”

Keith blinked, taking a second to remember what she was talking about. It couldn’t have been more than six months ago, but it felt like years.

“That? It was just an old passion project of my dads. I had a lot of time on my hands in the desert, and I finally figured out how to make it work.”

“How?” she looked up at him, excitement shining in her eyes. “Come on, don’t hold back on me, Mullet boy.”

He cracked a small smile and leaned back on his hands. “It’s kind of the same idea as those floating plates Coran has.”

He lost track of time while they talked, Pidge soaking up what he said with avid attention while still working on Rover 2.0. At some point he got some paper and sketched out a diagram for her, showing her how the engine worked and how it was all put together. 

At some point, God knows how much time later, there was a knock on the door. 

“Come in!” Pidge called cheerfully, and the door slid open to reveal Shiro. He got a small, fond smile on his face when he saw the two of them.

“Hey Shiro.” said Pidge, turning back to her work while Keith kept his eyes on Shiro. “Keith was just explaining his hoverbike to me. It’s pretty neat.”

Shiro’s smile grew. “Sounds interesting.” he said softly. “Hey, mind if I borrow Keith for a little bit?”

“Sure.” Pidge said easily, clicking her tongue at Rover and turning back to her notes. “But you’ve still gotta tell me how you got gasoline to convert into an electromagnetic field to make it hover.”

Keith chuckled as he got to his feet, all of his muscles screaming but his mind at peace. “Will do.”

Pidge gave them a cheery wave as they left the room.

For a moment there was a comfortable silence, and then Shiro tugged on his arm, steering him towards the bridge. 

“So.” he said as he walked. “You talked to Pidge.”

“Yeah.” was all Keith said, but his contented tone told Shiro all he needed to know.

“Have you talked to anybody else yet?”

“Just Lance.”

“And?”

There was a pause, probably as Keith debated whether or not to tell him, but he eventually he relented. He couldn’t keep anything from Shiro.

“He said he trusted me.”

Shiro smiled, that small fond look again. “That’s good.”

There was silence for another second, and then Keith stopped, grabbing onto Shiro’s arm to make him turn.

“Do you still trust me?” he asked quietly, staring up at the older paladin with serious eyes. 

“What? Of course I do!” Shiro exclaimed. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Keith faltered and released his arm. “It’s just… after the Galra… your arm…”

“Keith.” Shiro firmly clapped his hand onto Keith’s shoulder, “I’ve known you for years. It doesn’t matter who your family was. You’re my family now.”

Keith gave him a watery smile, trying to blink back tears. “Thanks, Shiro.” he whispered. Shiro returned his smile, and then they continued to the bridge. 

Coran was there with the star map open, scrolling through the universe somewhat aimlessly. He turned when he heard the door open, his eyes turning up at the corners when he smiled at them. 

“Ah, number four.” he greeted, closing the star map with a tap of a finger on the console. “How are you feeling?” 

“Uh, fine?” Keith said, raising an eyebrow questioningly. “Why?”

“Shiro said you got a bit roughed up yesterday.” The ginger Altean eyed the bandage sticking out from Keith’s shirt pointedly, and Keith rubbed the back of his neck.

“Oh, yeah, I guess I did. But I’m fine.”

“Sure you don’t want a pod?” 

“Yeah, I’m ok. Thanks anyway.”

Coran nodded wisely and turned his gaze to Shiro. “The princess was looking for you, Shiro. Something about establishing an alliance with the Blade of Marmora.”

“Right, of course. I’ll go track her down.” Shiro patted Keith’s shoulder reassuringly, and then left. Keith vaguely wondered if this whole thing had been an excuse to let Coran talk to him, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it before the man in question was in fact talking.

“I’m gonna warn you, Keith.” he said softly, regarding him with a sad look. “Allura is… very upset.”

“I figured.” he answered, crossing his arms over his chest. He felt more secure like this, safer. He hesitated for a second, and then asked, “What about you?”

Coran gave a small shrug. “I knew the paladins of old, before the war. The Galra weren’t always evil, and neither was Zarkon. It’s the actions of a person that count, and you have shown us no reason to mistrust you.” 

“I- I don’t know what to say.” Keith stammered, a little shaken by the mention of Zarkon. 

“Then don’t say anything.” Coran said cheerfully, turning back towards the console and opening the star map again. “No need for anymore drama around here.”

* * *

By dinnertime, Keith was starting to feel a little bit more at ease, but there was still a little prickle in the back of his mind. Hunk had been avoiding him all day, and he hadn’t seen hide nor hare of Allura. As he wandered towards the kitchen, he idly wondered if Hunk would be in there, and if he would scamper off again. His hand reached out for the door button, but paused an inch from its surface when he heard voices from within the kitchen. 

“What if he, I don’t know, turns Galra or something? Like a werewolf?” It was Hunk. Keith scrunched himself to the side, not opening the door. He felt a little squeeze of guilt at eavesdropping, but he couldn’t help it. Hunk clearly wasn’t going to be forthcoming with his thoughts. 

“Hunk, that’s not how genetics work.” That was Pidge’s voice, reprimanding and exasperated. 

“That’s not how  _ human _ genetics work. Alien genetics could totally work like that.”

“If he was some kind of weregalra, don’t you think something would’ve happened by now? We’ve been crammed in a spaceship with the guy for months.”

Hunk was silent for a moment. And then he said, so quietly Keith had to strain to hear, “Do you think that’s why he’s so… you know?”

“No, I don’t know.” Pidge snapped irritably.

“Hotheaded? Reckless? Maybe that comes from the Galra side of it.”

“Or maybe that’s just how he is. Not everything is an alien conspiracy, ya know.”

“Allura said-”

“I don’t  _ care  _ what Allura said.” 

Dead quiet. And then Pidge sighed. “Look, I’m sorry for snapping, but you shouldn’t listen to Allura.”

“She knows more about the Galra than any of us.” Hunk answered, his voice trembling. Keith’s throat closed. 

“She also hates them more than any of us. Not exactly an unbiased opinion.” Yet another pause, and Keith could feel his fists curling. “Hunk… this really isn’t fair. He hasn’t changed. He was always part Galra, we just didn’t know.” 

“Maybe he did know.” was Hunk’s answer. “Maybe he just hid it from us.”

“Shiro said he didn’t know, and I trust both of them. Don’t you?”

“Yeah, I trust Shiro.”

“Hunk, I know Keith’s not the most cuddly guy in the galaxy, but we’ve been fighting together for months. We’ve been in each other’s heads, we’re all connected. You’re really saying after all of that, you don’t trust him just because some random person somewhere in his family tree was Galra?”

Silence.

“Pidge, I’m just…”

“I know. But it’s not fair, and you know that.”

Hunk exhaled loudly. “Yeah. I know.”

Keith turned away from the door, rushing back down the hallway as fast as he could without being too loud. He wasn’t hungry anymore. 

And just when he thought his day couldn’t get any better, he came around a corner and ran face first into the Princess of Altea. 

They both froze, staring, barely a few inches from each other. Then, slowly, her eyes narrowed, and her face froze into a stone cold glare. She had looked at Ulaz exactly the same way. 

Keith dug his teeth into the inside of his lip until a coppery tang coated his tongue. Allura glared at him for several more seconds, and then stepped gracefully to the side and continued on her way, not sparing a second or a glance back in his direction.

His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. That’s what he had been fearing. That look, full of hatred and revulsion. His stomach twisted, and he found himself walking in the direction of the training deck. 

His shoulder was still too screwed up to fight with, but he figured he could practice with his left hand and everything would be fine. Of course, he had forgotten that he would still need to use his other arm to block, and within five minutes of the simulation fresh blood was soaking his bandage. It hurt like hell, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. He had to get out all of this nervous energy, all of the inner turmoil, or he’d crack.

The bot got in a good hit to his injured shoulder, and he let out a choked cry, but he didn’t stop. Or, rather, he didn’t want to. 

“End training sequence.”

The bot clanged to the floor in a heap, and Keith snapped his head around to glare at whoever had spoken. It was Lance, leaning against the door frame and giving him an unreadable look. 

“What was that for?” he asked in a raspy voice, unconsciously gripping his bleeding shoulder. 

“You know what.” Lance said dismissively. “You’re hurt, the last thing you need to be doing is beating yourself up more.” His eyes fell to Keith’s injured shoulder and narrowed slightly. “When was the last time you changed that bandage?”

Keith gritted his teeth. “Haven’t.”

Lance gave a dramatic eye roll. “You are the absolute worst at self care. Come on, you stubborn idiot.” He left the room, clearly expecting Keith to follow him. Not knowing what else to do, he did.

Lance led him to the infirmary, making his way to the little cabinet Hunk had stashed a bunch of gauze and band aids in. After all, not every little cut and scrape was worthy of a healing pod. 

“Sit down.” Lance said without looking at him, waving his arm in Keith’s general direction. Keith obeyed, sinking down onto the step that looped around the infirmary, having to hold back a wince from his sore muscles. Slowly, he lifted his shirt over his head. The bandage was almost completely red at this point, and in the back of his mind he realized Lance was probably right. He was pretty bad at taking care of himself.

Lance returned, arms full of gauze and medical tape and antiseptic, and settled down on the floor behind him. With careful fingers, he peeled the bandage off of Keith’s shoulder, hissing in a sympathetic breath when he saw the wound.

“Damn.” he whispered. “These guys really didn’t pull their punches, did they?”

Keith shook his head. “Knowledge or death.”

Lance didn’t have anything to say to that, just quietly working away. His touch was light and practiced, which was surprisingly soothing, despite the sting of the antiseptic in the wound. 

“You really should think about this stuff before you do it.” Lance murmured. 

“I did think about it. I just decided to do it anyway.”

Lance made a tsking sound in the back of his throat, but didn’t answer. 

“Hunk is afraid of me.” Keith found himself saying quietly. Lance’s fingers paused for a moment. “And Allura…”

“Don’t listen to Allura.” Lance said quickly. “She’s just angry.”

“She hates me.”

“Maybe she does now, but she’ll get over it.” 

Keith didn’t answer, and Lance finished reapplying the bandage in silence. 


End file.
